Why Sustainable Furniture is a Great Choice

In this day and age, we all want to do our part to help sustain the environment. More than ever before, choosing sustainably and ethically sourced products is a responsibility, not just a choice.

By choosing to decorate your home in sustainable furniture, you're helping preserve the environment for future generations. In the past, you may have had to choose between sustainable and chic, but that is no longer the case. These days, you can find stylish, quality pieces that are long-lasting, look great, and don't harm the environment.

1. Sustainable Materials

The four elements that make a piece of furniture sustainable or eco-friendly are the types of materials used and where they came from, the methods of transportation, the process of construction, and how durable the end product is.

The material with which you make sustainable furniture can be reclaimed, recycled or derived from a low-impact source. For example, wood that was used initially in boats or buildings is considered eco-friendly when reclaimed to create a piece of furniture. Bamboo is incredibly fast-growing, uses few resources and is easy to replace, so it is excellent as an eco-friendly furniture material.

The fossil fuels used to produce the piece of furniture and transport it also contributes to the piece's sustainability. If you make a piece of furniture from ethical sources, but it burns up excessive amounts of fossil fuels getting to your home, you may not be as environmentally friendly as you’d like. It is preferable to buy furniture made from domestically grown sources.

Lastly, the piece must be durable so that it can last a long time. If you don't have to replace your furniture, you decrease the amount of waste your household produces. Many furniture companies finish their pieces with less-than-healthy elements. Look for furniture that has a low VOC paint or a minimal, raw or non-hazardous finish.

Here are three ways of making furniture that result in eco-friendly furniture that is a stylish and durable choice for your home.

2. FSC Certified

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) works hard to manage and maintain the world's forests. If a furniture company is FSC certified, it means they make eco-friendly furniture from well-managed, sustainable sources.

Any company that wants to become FSC certified must go through a thorough review to receive certification. To do this, most companies use low-impact materials to make durable furniture that withstands the test of time so you don't have to replace it and create more waste.

Working together with the FSC, eco-friendly furniture companies like Karpenter, encourage proper disposal, reuse, or recycling of products for a further beneficial environmental impact.

3. Reclaimed Boat Wood

Another avenue to creating beautiful, sustainable furniture is by using reclaimed boat wood to construct pieces. Many companies work with countries in Southeast Asia, where boat wrecks litter beaches. Engaging with the local communities, makers of eco-friendly furniture such as KLEO use the leftover boat wood to craft furniture.

In the beginning stages, the discarded boat wood may not look like much. But after sanding and painting, the individual details of these lovely pieces of timber shine through, giving the furniture interesting, unique details .

Not only do these pieces have a story, but, by buying sustainable furniture, you're giving this wood another life.

4. Sustainably-sourced Teak

Teak is a sturdy, durable wood for furniture making, but a lot of the teak that's used is not sustainable and comes from primary forests.

When you buy furniture that's not eco-friendly, you run the risk of using your financial support in ways you may not have imagined. By paying for furniture that is not sustainable, you may be financing groups that participate in human right's abuses and unfair working conditions. Additionally, these groups partake in practices that may endanger the species and indigenous tribes that live in these forests.

MAMAGREEN, an eco-friendly outdoor furniture company, uses teak that is sustainably sourced. This teak is reclaimed from abandoned building sites, or it comes from plantations that are meticulously managed. By reusing this wood, you give it a second life as a piece of beautiful furniture .

Final Thoughts

If you're looking to buy some furniture, you can help the Earth in the process by supporting eco-friendly companies that support sustainable growth and furniture manufacturing processes.

Look for the FSC certification to ensure your furniture's materials come from managed plantations. Additionally, choose furniture made from wood like teak that's been reclaimed from buildings or boats. Giving wood a second life is a beautiful way to support sustainability.

If you're in the market for new furniture, make the right choice and opt for eco-friendly pieces. We offer ethically sourced, sustainable furniture that looks wonderful and lasts for generations.